Ruth Williams Holley, 99, of Blountstown, passed away Thursday, July 16, 2015, in Blountstown after an extended illness.
Born August 9, 1915, in Kinard, she was the daughter of the late William Author and Minnie Lou (Steward) Griffin. Ms. Ruth was a homemaker and a volunteer at the Calhoun County Library for several years. She was a member of Williams Memorial United Methodist Church.
Survivors include two sons, Laddie Williams and his wife, Virginia, and Leon Williams and his wife, Shirley, of Blountstown; two daughters, Joyce Little (widow of the late James Little) of Port St. Joe, Florida, and Nell Van Sickle and her husband, Jim, of Panama City, Florida; 18 grandchildren; 27 great-grandchildren; and a sister-in-law, Odell Griffin.
The family will receive friends from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., Saturday, July 18, at Adams Funeral Home. The funeral service will be at 4:00 p.m., Sunday, July 19, in the funeral home chapel. Reverend Ken Taylor and Reverend Nick Hughes will officiate. Interment will follow in Williams Memorial Church Cemetery.
Flowers are welcome or memorial contributions may be made to Williams Memorial United Methodist Church, 7662 SR 71 South, Blountstown, FL 32424 or Covenant Hospice, 4215 Kelson Avenue, Marianna, FL 32446.
Adams Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements (ph. 674-5449). You may offer the family condolences online atadamsfh.com.
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Ginger Moncrief, the mother of Devon Sherrod, the young man who was shot Tuesday afternoon by Chris Melton of Blountstown, has provided The County Record with an update on his condition.

"He is doing better this morning," she reports. "They had to replace and sew some of the veins and arteries in his leg. He lost a lot of blood and was given blood. I cannot say why Chris did this. There are two sides to every story."

Moncrief adds that she does not believe the shooting was in self-defense. She would like to extend her thanks to all the law enforcement officers who assisted with the search and apprehension of Melton.

Melton immediately went on the run. Authorities searched throughout the night and located him earlier today at a home off Hwy. 73 B at the end of Tyler Lane. He was reportedly staying there with a female known as Cassey Marks. Authorities are looking for the individual who gave him a ride to Marks' residence.

Meanwhile, Sherrod underwent surgery last night at Bay Medical Center and remains stable in Surgical ICU. Sources indicate he was shot in the pelvic area. He was able to give investigators a statement.

Melton was just booked into the Calhoun County Jail. The gun allegedly used in the shooting was just found hidden at the Juniper Avenue residence.

Melton's girlfriend of Bristol was taken into custody yesterday afternoon on outstanding warrants, but has not been charged with any crime related to the shooting. Sherrod is reportedly the father of her child, but sources say she recently started dating Melton, who was a mutual friend.

Special thanks to Blountstown Police Chief Kipper Mallory and his team for keeping us informed throughout this incident so we could keep our readers posted! More details as they become available.

Blountstown residents are urged to lock their doors as an armed gunman remains at large. Christopher Melton, a white male clad in blue shorts and no shirt, allegedly shot someone on Juniper Avenue (the neighborhood behind Burger King) this afternoon. According to Blountstown Police Chief Kipper Mallory, the victim is currently stable at Bay Medical. Melton is believed to be armed with a .357 Magnum. If you see him, call 911. Do not attempt to make contact with him. Helicopters are searching from above and armed officers from both the BPD and Calhoun County Sheriff's Office are stationed around the area from Gaskin Street to Juniper.

We will soon be celebrating Independence Day on the Fourth of July. In the spirit of celebration of the freedoms we have as a Christian nation, the churches and businesses in Calhoun and Liberty counties are coordinating a community God & Country Celebration.
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Five candidates have qualified for two seats on the Blountstown City Council.
Ward 1 incumbent, Ronnie Williams, Sr., has opposition from former Councilman Clifford Jackson, along with newcomer Bill Riley. Ward 2 incumbent Janie Boyd will face Richard Armstrong on the ballot. Election day is set for Tuesday, Aug. 25, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Over in Altha, there will be no election as Carol Anderson was the only candidate to step forward. She will automatically fill one of the vacant Council seats, leaving another one still open. The Altha Town Council will now decide on appointing someone to fill the second seat. More details as they become available.

A settlement has been reached between former Liberty County Jail nurse Jennifer Sanders Bailey and correctional officer Elizabeth R. Evans in a lawsuit they filed against Sheriff Nick Finch.[Full Story »]

A correctional officer from Bristol, who also serves as a part-time deputy for the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday, then arrested.
Corry B. Fletcher, 43, along with Correctional Officer William J. Ray, 40, of Carrabelle, have been accused of physically assaulting an inmate at Franklin Correctional Institution without justification and causing the inmate bodily injury. The incident reportedly occurred last summer. Fletcher was additionally charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly misleading FBI and FDLE agents through false statements.
Fletcher was transferred to Calhoun Correctional Institution in September where he served as a captain. He was terminated this week by the Florida Department of Corrections and suspended by the LCSO.
Check out the full story in this week’s print edition of The County Record.